Editor's Note: Wherever the Order Comes From, It’s Still About Getting Paid

As consumers continue to drive the direct and digital marketing economy, making purchases in almost every way imaginable — via a traditional phone call, from their computers, at brick-and-mortar retailers and, increasingly, by clicking on their smartphones and tablets — marketers cannot only focus on the front-end question of “How do we reach them and drive that purchase decision?” They must also focus on the back-end mechanics of safely closing that transaction.

While teleservices providers and fulfillment/shipping companies have each been faced with upgrading their technological capabilities and providing faster and more complete services, the group that’s arguably been most crucial to smoothing the way for marketers into this new era is the payment processing industry.

Go ahead: ask any average consumer if they know what payment processors are. I have. And I can tell you there’s a high likelihood you’ll get a blank stare before you describe the companies that are responsible for charging their credit cards in a timely and legal fashion. And if you go any deeper into the services provided by the best payment processing companies, those same consumers will react with wonderment at their importance in the transactional process.

The truth is that if consumers know about your payment processor, however, something’s likely gone wrong. Payment processors are doing their best job when they help make the consumer’s transaction process seamless. When a consumer clicks “buy” after filling out her credit card information and next thinks about that purchase when it lands on her doorstep, your processor has done its duty.

That’s why each marketer knows (or should know) just how crucial finding the best processing partner can be. Not only will they make sure that you get paid for those sales, but they’ll also keep you out of the legal and regulatory hot water that can come from chargebacks and other issues. At the same time, their technological innovations will ensure that you can sell your product or service via all those different points consumers are purchasing from.

So what’s new — and what do you need to know — in the payments space? As usual, Response has you covered. From a feature story involving some of the leading payment processing experts (page 36) to a DRMA Spotlight on Vantiv, one of the world’s largest processing companies (page 42), to an insightful column on the changing rules for credit card processing (page 45), this issue is chock full of information.

At the same time, we’re also on top of other items: the changing landscape of television and entertainment (and where marketing fits best today — and in the future); what the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against Aereo means for the TV universe; and our first look at 2014’s DRTV media buying results. Though we hope you’re enjoying your summer so far, there’s no summer break for Response — our job is to keep getting you all the information you need to keep your business rolling right along.